Researchers in Raleigh have tested full-size, 3D-printed tungsten components inside a fusion research facility, advancing the manufacturing technology needed for future clean-energy systems.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Scientists have spent decades working toward nuclear fusion, the process that powers the sun. But producing energy from fusion is only part of the challenge. Engineers also need materials capable of surviving extraordinary heat and particle bombardment inside the machines.
Researchers at North Carolina State University, working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Japanese manufacturer JEOL, have now demonstrated a potential advance: full-size, 3D-printed tungsten tiles that remained intact after 74 high-confinement plasma discharges at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego, according to an October 22 university announcement.
Why fusion needs better materials
In a tokamak, powerful magnetic fields confine plasma heated to temperatures far beyond those at the surface of the sun. Components near the plasma boundary must tolerate extreme conditions. The divertor, which helps remove heat and particles, is especially demanding.
Tungsten is a leading candidate for these components because of its exceptionally high melting point and other useful properties. Yet it is difficult to manufacture into complex shapes without cracking. The research team used electron-beam powder bed fusion, an additive manufacturing process that melts metal powder layer by layer, to make the tiles.
From small samples to full-size tiles
Earlier work examined smaller tungsten samples. The latest project advanced to full-size parts manufactured with JEOL equipment in Japan, precision-finished at NC State and installed at DIII-D in July 2026.
The tiles survived 74 plasma discharges, amounting to roughly four minutes of cumulative exposure. That is an encouraging demonstration of manufacturability and short-term performance, not proof that the components could withstand continuous operation in a commercial power plant.
What remains unproven
Researchers still need to examine the exposed material for microscopic damage and investigate longer-term durability, repeated heating and cooling, and radiation effects. A commercial fusion reactor would subject materials to conditions that this brief experimental campaign did not reproduce in full.
Manufacturing cost and scalability also remain open questions. Producing a component successfully for research does not necessarily mean it can be produced economically and reliably for a fleet of power plants.
Why it matters for North Carolina
The experiment highlights the role that North Carolina’s universities and advanced manufacturing capabilities can play in emerging energy technologies. Fusion development requires more than breakthroughs in plasma physics: it also depends on precision components, specialized machinery, materials testing and skilled engineers.
NC State students participated in the effort, gaining hands-on experience with components installed in an operating research facility. The university has also described plans for expanded electron-beam additive manufacturing capabilities.
The long-term opportunity is significant but uncertain. North Carolina could contribute specialized materials and manufacturing expertise to a future fusion supply chain even if commercial reactors are built elsewhere.
A practical step toward an ambitious goal
The latest result does not mean commercial fusion power is imminent. It does show that researchers can fabricate full-size tungsten parts using a difficult manufacturing process and test them in a real fusion experiment without immediate structural failure.
For a field in which many of the toughest barriers are engineering problems, that is meaningful progress—and a notable contribution from Raleigh.
Sources: NC State Nuclear Engineering (October 22, 2026); NC State College of Engineering (October 26, 2026).